West Africa's regional bloc ECOWAS on Sunday set up a committee of three leaders to negotiate with Niger's military junta on a transition to democratic rule and to consider easing sanctions, a communique said after an annual summit.
Niger became the latest Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) member to undergo a coup in July when soldiers from the presidential guard detained President Mohamed Bazoum and set up what they called a transitional government, one of a series of government overthrows in West Africa's Sahel region.
At Sunday's summit in the Nigerian capital Abuja, ECOWAS decided to set up a committee of leaders from Togo, Sierra Leone and Benin to engage the Niger junta to agree "on a short transition roadmap" and work "towards the speedy restoration of constitutional order."
Use of force
The 15-member regional bloc said "based on the outcomes of the engagement by the committee of heads of state with the (Niger junta) the authority will progressively ease the sanctions imposed on Niger."
The regional body added that if the Niger junta failed to comply with the outcomes of the engagement, the sanctions would be maintained.
"In the event of failure by the CMSP to comply with the outcomes of the engagement with the committee, ECOWAS shall maintain all sanctions, including the use of force, and shall request the African Union and all other partners to enforce the targeted sanctions on members of the CMSP and their associates," the communique read.
Technical support
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, who is ECOWAS chairman, earlier said the bloc should try to re-engage with regional countries under military rule and support them to achieve "realistic and short" transitions to democracy.
As the regional leaders try to resolve issues in the of Niger's July coup, authorities in Guinea Bissau and Sierra Leone said in the last two weeks they had also thwarted coup attempts.
Tinubu said ECOWAS should be prepared to provide military juntas with technical and material support to achieve transition goals.
Alliance of Sahel states
ECOWAS has imposed a series of economic sanctions on the juntas which are hurting the citizens and should be removed, the military governments say.
Tinubu also said ECOWAS would review a move by some member states under military rule to form a security alliance.
Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso in September signed a security pact promising to come to the aid of each other in case of any rebellion or external aggression under what they called Alliance of Sahel States.
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